NATO HQ, Brussels 7 June 2002

Statement by Luan Rama, Minister of Defence of Republic of Albania at the Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Defence Ministers session Mr Secretary General, Dear colleagues, In ten years of its life, EAPC(Euro- Atlantic Partnership Council) and P£P have brought a huge progress in our lives - both in the mentalities of the people and in practice. Ten years ago non of us could be so brave to imagine the today achievements of wide cooperation with Alliance in different fields, operations and regions. There are many lessons learned to reconfirm and consolidate the tools and mechanisms ofPfP and EAPC under new circumstances and developments. Let me mention some of the Washington Summit initiatives which I think are the core of the progress achieved in these four last years: - Membership Action Plan for aspirant countries. Individual Partnership Program (IPP), Planning and Reviewing Process(PARP), Operational Capability Concept(OCC), Training and Education Enhanced Program (TEEP), Political- Military Framework(PMF), Participation in initiatives of regional cooperation as SEEGROUP and SEECAP. All these have contributed in our achievements, have brought us in a new stage which can be used to go further. I can bring the experience of my country with several practical successes under the PfP or in close cooperation with it. -In four years of a very intensive cooperation along with Defense Reform, which has been the key direction of our efforts, in Albania are collected and destroyed hundreds of thousands of weapons and ammunitions and are still working on that, there are destroyed chemical waste, in a very short period of time are destroyed 1,6 million of antipersonnel mines thanks to NATO, individual NATO and Partner countries assistance to whom I once again take the opportunity to express our thanks and gratitude. We are committed to go further in this important to offer our facilities and resources, not only for national ammunitions and weapons, but for whole the region. -Regional cooperation on different issues of common interest where I can mention the participation in multinational SEEBRIG etc. -In close cooperation with NATO experts we have already established a New legislation on crisis management and civil emergency structures, -With the assistance ofNOS experts we have a new National Security Authority with NATO standards. Two elements amongst many others I can emphasize in that enterprise as good lessons learned: first, Inter-ministerial and broader than Defence cooperation on the PfP issues and Second, close cooperation with other international organisations as OSCE, UN, and many NGO on PfP activities with humanitarian emphasis. Since 1998 we have had in Tirana the PfP cell established under specific circumstances which has cooperated and assisted our structures with expertise in many fields especially in task areas ofIPP, a practise that might be used in other countries or regions if needed. We think that in above mentioned important tools there is room for improvements and adaptations which consist in becoming more and more operational in a more practical way. We are working now to implement Defence Review, a realistic paper made in close cooperation and with assistance of NATO and US Department of Defence. We are open, as we have been so far, and appreciate any assistance offered from NATO or partner country in this direction. Another field is the implementation of PARP Partnership Goals . Both these might be a focus of NATO expertise till and especially after Prague Summit. The PfP tools and mechanisms that came out from Washington Summit should be more related with and in function of Defence Reform. And finally Mr. Secretary General, since I have the floor let me thank you and through you all your experts, the working groups and the committees who have worked to prepare these eight comprehensive reports we have in front of us that will be noted today and Partnership Goal Summary Report brought to our attention. Thank You.